The relationship between the United States and India is one of the most strategic and consequential of the 21st century. The United States supports India’s emergence as a leading global power and a vital partner in promoting a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. The 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between the U.S. Secretaries of State and Defense and their Indian counterparts is the premier recurring dialogue mechanism between the United States and India. Through the 2+2 mechanism, U.S. and Indian officials advance a wide range of initiatives across the breadth of the United States-India partnership.
Defense and Security
The United States and India have established a strong defense industrial cooperation that looks at opportunities for co-development and co-production of important military capabilities for both our countries.
Earlier this year, the United States approved a pathbreaking manufacturing license for the co-production of GE F414 engines in India.
Looking to the future, the United States and India have launched an educational series that prepares startups and young innovators to contribute to the defense industries in both countries.
The United States and India also cooperate through the bilateral U.S.-India Counterterrorism Joint Working Group and the Defense Policy Group.
Clean Energy
The United States and India share a common vision to deploy clean energy at scale, as reflected in both countries’ ambitious 2030 targets for climate action and clean energy.
We are exploring avenues to increase our minerals security cooperation to ensure we can advance our clean energy goals, including through the Minerals Security Partnership.
In August 2023, the India-United States New and Emerging Renewable Energy Technologies Action Platform (RE-TAP) held its inaugural meeting. Under this platform, our two countries will engage in lab-to-lab collaboration, piloting and testing, and policy and planning coordination for renewable energy technologies and systems.
The United States and India also collaborate through the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership and the Climate Action and Finance Mobilization Dialogue.
Space
With India’s signing of the Artemis Accords in June, we have established a common vision for the future of space exploration for the benefit of all humankind.
Our priorities include furthering cooperation on human spaceflight, commercial collaboration, and space exploration. We look forward to NASA’s provision of advanced training to Indian astronauts at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, with a goal of mounting a joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024.
In June, India approved a $318-million investment to construct a Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory in India that will work in tandem with similar facilities in the United States, Europe, and Japan to look for ripples in space-time, known as gravitational waves, that provide insights into the physical origins of the universe.
The United States and India cooperate through the bilateral Civil Space Joint Working Group and the Quad Space Working Group on civil and commercial activities, including improving information sharing on climate and space situational awareness data.
Multilateral Cooperation
India and the United States cooperate closely in multilateral organizations and fora, including the United Nations, G20, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-related fora, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.
The United States recognizes India’s successful G20 presidency, including hosting the September G20 summit. The summit delivered key outcomes including efforts towards a new era of connectivity from Europe to Asia, stimulating economic development and a commitment to larger and more effective multilateral development banks.
Together with Australia and Japan, the United States and India convene as the Quad, a diplomatic network, to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific.
India is also one of 12 countries partnering with the United States on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity to make our economies more connected, resilient, clean, and fair. The United States and India look forward to the finalization of the September 7 IPEF Supply Chain Agreement.
India is a member of the Indian Ocean Rim Association, at which the United States is a dialogue partner, and which convened in October 2023 in Colombo.
People-to-People Ties
The vibrant people-to-people ties between our countries are a tremendous source of strength for the strategic partnership.
We welcome over 200,000 Indian nationals studying in our universities and are developing new higher education partnerships as part of a bilateral working group.
The Indian diaspora community of over 4 million in the United States is an important driver of collaboration, innovation, and job creation in both countries.